highfantasyfandomcom-20200214-history
Goblins (Warcraft)
Goblins are a greedy, mischievous race of short, green-skinned humanoids on Azeroth. Though they tend to lack common sense, their ingenuity and high intelligence have led them to be some of the greatest technological minds of the world. Goblins are known to be the greatest merchants, con artists, inventors, and maniacs. While Gnomes are also known to be great inventors, Goblin inventions are often much more dangerous, resource heavy, and impactful on the environment. Goblins lack the focus of Gnomes and will often abandon a project in the middle of working on it. As a result, Goblin inventions are often viewed as unreliable. This only fuels the great rivalry between Azeroth's most technological races. Goblin society is governed by a number of Trade Princes who govern over various cartels. The race is therefore split into several factions, chief of which are currently the Steamwheedle Cartel and the Bilgewater Cartel. The foundation of all goblin society, however, is the gain of wealth. History Origins & Early History Little is known of the Goblins before the War of the Ancients, but they are believed to have been an ancient race, possibly created by the Old Gods themselves. Goblins are known to have participated in the war by aiding Neltharion in the creation of the Demon Soul. Initally, Goblins were unintelligent creatures used as slaves by the Jungle Trolls that populated the island of Kezan. The Goblins dug precious minerals for the trolls, who hated being below ground. It was in these mines that Goblins discovered Kaja'mite. The precious ore was used by the trolls to create artifacts, but the Goblins began to sense it held enchantments of its own and so they too began to hoard it in their deep tunnels. The magic of the Kaja'mite, however, affected the Goblins minds, sparking an intelligence and curiousity that led to their creation of the first technologies known in Azeroth. Using their simplistic technology, the Goblins overthrew the trolls and took over Kezan and built their capital of Undermine. Empowered by the Kaja'mite, Goblins crafted Azeroth's first steam-powered technologies, making their technology of the time even more advanced than that of the Dwarves of Gnomes of the time. Unfortunately, Goblins began to run out of Kaja'mite and their intelligence began to wane. Instead of invention, Goblins began to focus almost exclusively on commerce. About 200 years before the First War, the Goblins began to send out Trade Fleets The Great Wars Seeing war as a great trading opportunity, Goblins began to build a trading empire when the First War began. During the Second War, a trade prince (rumored to be Trade Prince Steamwheedle, the richest goblin on Azeroth at the time) approached the Horde and offered his services. The trade prince believed the Orcs would win the war, as they had won the First War. Profits flooded into Undermine and the Goblins developed a booming slave trade. Most Goblins, however, remained neutral and viewed the trade prince's alliance as a mistake. When the Orcs lost the war, the trade prince withdrew his support from the Horde and declared himself and his cartel a neutral entity once more. Since then, Goblins have traditionally held a neutral stance and learned to play the Alliance and the Horde against each other for maximum profits. Cataclysm The volcano Mount Kajaro erupted with the release of Deathwing from Deepholm, causing the trade princes to board ships and flee. The Goblins of the Bilgewater Cartel under Trade Prince Jastor Gallywix were lost on the Lost Isles along with several members of the Horde. The events that unfolded there brought the Goblins in conflict with the Alliance and fighting side-by-side with the Horde and Thrall himself. Gallywix and the Bilgewater Cartel were consequently brought into the Horde. It seems, however, that most other Goblin organizations remained neutral even after the Shattering. Although the Bilgewater Cartel resides primarily in Azshara and the Goblin Slums of Orgrimmar, the other Goblins have worked to recover Kezan and Undermines, although the situation there is not precisely known to the rest of the people of Azeroth. Culture Goblins are mostly highly intelligent, able to learn the languages of any races they wish to trade with. Nearly all Goblins speak Common, Orcish, and Goblin. Goblins are known to breed exceedingly quickly, and often have enormous families -- although families generally do not take care of each other in the ways many other cultures do. Goblins are each out to profit for themselves, even at the cost of virtually any others involved in their lives. They believe in, and are loyal to, only themselves and gold. Because of this, Trade Princes are always in danger of death. This has resulted in incredible military advances that are as much a part of Goblin cultures as anything. A huge and fascinating array of technological weaponry exists amongst Goblin forces. To come by the massive resources needed to produce these technologies, Goblins have become widely known for strip mining and deforestation. This puts them at odds with the Night Elves and Tauren. Surprisingly, Goblins are also some of the most talented chefs in all of Azeroth. Real World Goblins are a race seen in World of Warcraft. They became a playable race in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. External Links *Wowpedia Category:Goblins Category:Warcraft Races Category:Warcraft Bestiary Category:WoW Bestiary Category:Warcraft II Bestiary Category:Cataclysm Bestiary Category:Warcraft Goblins Warcraft